My 3x3 Party: Celebrating Three Years in Paris
Hi friends,
I can’t believe it’s been nearly three months since my last update here. These past few months have been full of highs and lows, so I hope you’ll excuse my little absence this past summer as I share with you a recent highlight.
Those who truly know me know that I love to host. Since life simply didn’t go as planned this year, I decided to celebrate three life milestones during one intimate gathering. I called it my 3x3 party, celebrating turning 30, my three year anniversary living in Paris, and my new French work contract.
The Theme: DIY Collages/Mood Boards
Using old magazines, I wanted everyone to make a collage that either reflected their aspirations for the next three years or their general aesthetic. I love doing an activity that requires minimal creative skills or experience. I want people to feel free to be as creative or as simple as they want. At the end, everyone presented their collage with commentary on their image selection, aesthetic, and personal stories.
The Menu:
Fall is here! So the menu was filed with simple baked dishes mostly inspired by seasonal ingredients and what I could manage to cook within a few hours before the party.
-Baked Squash with bacon on the side
-Baked Camembert with pomegranate and baguette
-Matcha Chocolate Chip Cookies
-Baby Tomato and Cheese Quiche
The recipes I used as a general guide are linked by dish.
The Dress Code: Parisian Chic
If you couldn’t guess from my current looks on IG, I love a little black and white outfit. The dress code (informally of course) was black and white to which all of my friends graciously attempted to participate. I wore a second-hand white shirt and skirt by Bareyt a brand I previously modeled for.
The Vibe: Cozy
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Hosting is a love language and for me it combines all of the things I love most: good company, good conversation, friends meeting friends, creative projects, and wholesome, home-cooked food.
As I slip into my third year in Paris, I feel deeply changed as a person. I feel like 27 was the perfect age for me to move abroad. Young enough to start from scratch and old enough to figure out things on my own. At the time, I had never moved very far outside the LA bubble and I was ready for a change; I was ready to bet on myself both financially and emotionally to do something that could allow me to grow beyond what I already knew.
A lot of people ask if I was scared and my honest answer was no. There were moments where I was scared and felt alone as is the reality of being a single girl striking it out on her own anywhere, but at the end of the day I’m a planner and when things don’t go to plan, life has taught me the value of being resourceful. Ultimately, my fear lied in stagnation and with no kids, no husband, and nothing holding me back, all there was left to do was make a calculated and ambitious leap of faith.
I will say that I couldn’t have made it this far completely on my own. I was fortunate enough to meet one friend when I moved to Paris and from that one friend alone, I’ve expanded my circle of friends exponentially.
Three years later, I’d say that the bet has paid off by ten fold. I may not be financially better off living here in Paris but I make it work. Instead, I have an international group of friends, I am able to discover something new every weekend simply by walking or passing by a cafe in the neighborhood, and I get to meet other like-minded people who understand what it’s like to set out to live a life beyond the one we already had.
Here, I’m forced to adapt, learn a new language, broaden my mindset past my own reality as I try to connect with a foreign way of life and a new set of values. Life as an expat has been filled with growing pains, trauma, and culture shock but at the end of it, there are always moments of gratitude and pride for surviving it all, one day at a time.
As always, thank you so much for reading and thank you for being here! If you have any additional questions about my life as an American in Paris, feel free to leave a comment here or on my Substack.
À bientôt,
Kiana